


I’m only me when I’m with you

by Jeep_Girl



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Attacks, Endgame Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Kara Danvers Needs a Hug, Lena Luthor Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, Lena Luthor Needs a Hug, Light Angst, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Other, Protective Kara Danvers, Slow Burn Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:41:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26152834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeep_Girl/pseuds/Jeep_Girl
Summary: Post Season Five of Supergirl, months later, in early 2021: Sara Lance and Ava Sharpe are having a staycation on the Waverider while the other Legends are on the Earth across time enjoying their vacations whenever Gideon alerts the Co-Captains of an impending change in the timeline in 2021 that causes a comet to strike the Earth instead of go by it. Given the gravity of the situation, they decide to seek out Supergirl's help instead of recalling all of the Legends back to the ship. Meanwhile, in National City, Lex and Lillian have been apprehended thanks mostly to Lena and Kara working together and starting to rebuild their friendship. What will happen when Sara and Ava show up and ask Kara to come along with them to help stop this potential disaster?akaSara and Ava help Kara and Lena finally have some long overdue conversations and work out some feelings.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe
Comments: 9
Kudos: 172





	1. Chapter 1

While most of the Legends were on Earth, scattered across time, enjoying some well-earned time off, Sara and Ava decided to enjoy having the Waverider to themselves. Of course, Gideon was still on board, but being the ever-smart supercomputer she is, knew when to “go dark” and give Sara and Ava their privacy… It was on day three of their staycation though, that Gideon interrupted the couple while they were doing some hand-to-hand combat training. Ava had just pinned Sara to the ground and then kissed her passionately, claiming the victory, when Gideon had interrupted them.

“Apologies, captains, but we have a disturbance in the timeline.”

Ava gives Sara a hand up and they make their way to the bridge of the Waverider.

“Alright Gideon, what is it?” Sara huffs, still a bit disappointed that she lost the match.

“Well, Captain Lance, it appears that a comet that originally passes near earth in 2021, somehow now hits earth. Causing catastrophic damage and killing billions of humans. The comet devastates over half of the earth, causing massive tidal waves, earth quakes, volcanic eruptions, droughts –“

“Ok Gideon, we get it. It’s bad.” Sara cuts her off. Staring at the images on the projected screen in front of her.

“I hate to say this babe, but this does not seem like a job for our normal team of Legends.” Ava states, matter-of-factly.

“You’re right. I think we need some extraterrestrial help with this one…”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, in National City, Kara Danvers is just getting home from a busy day at the office and as Supergirl. Kara changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt before collapsing onto her couch. It wasn’t long before her mind drifted to where it usually does when she is alone with nothing else to focus on…. Her relationship with Lena. While they had worked together to hunt down Lex and Lillian Luthor, she wasn’t sure exactly where they stood now that Lex and Lillian were both back in prison. It’s true, they had forgiven each other for everything that happened between each other over the past few years and they even had worked really well together throughout defeating Leviathan and her family. But Lex and Lillian have been in prison for a month now. And Lena hasn’t reached out to her since.

To be fair, she also hasn’t reached out to Lena. Kara sighs as she realizes this. Screw it she thinks, and she picks up her phone and dials Lena’s number.

“Hey, you” Lena answers the phone after a few rings.

“Hi Lena.”

“Is there a, you know, capital-S emergency?”

“Oh, no! I was just… you see I was just calling to see what you were doing this evening. I just got home from work and…” She hears Lena chuckle, apparently at her rambling. But then it dawns on her that she heard her twice.

“Wait, where are you right now?”

“Darling, I think we had the same idea.” Lena says, finishing her thought for her. At this, Kara uses her x-ray vision to confirm that yes, Lena is actually currently standing at her doorway, on the phone with her. Kara uses her superspeed to rush to the door and open it.

“Hi.” Kara says, sheepishly as she holds the door open for Lena. Lena hangs up her phone, smiling brightly at Kara as she enters her apartment.

The women spend the evening catching each other up on the past month, like old friends. Like they used to do together all the time before secrets were revealed and revenge was sought. The significance of the evening is not lost on either of them.

It was getting close to midnight when Lena announces she should probably get going so she can get some sleep. However, before Kara can even give her signature pout and ask Lena to stay longer to watch a movie, there is a conspicuous knock at the door. Both women look at each other with suspicious before Kara uses her x-ray vision.

“Uh oh. If she is here, that can’t be good…” is all Kara says as she gets up and walks to the door. Kara opens the door to two women Lena has never met before, though it is clear that Kara knows at least one of them very well as they hug tightly.

“Kara, sorry to intrude so late. This is Ava, co-captain of the Waverider. We have a mission that we could use your help on.”

“Of course,” Kara says, shaking Ava’s hand. Lena has stood up and is approaching the other three women by now, intrigued by what a Waverider is and what mission Kara will be helping on. She puts her hand on Kara’s shoulder and, despite being dressed down for an evening at Kara’s apartment, attempts to put on her CEO game face for what is clearly a very serious matter.

“I’m Lena Luthor,” she says, not waiting for Kara to introduce her.

“Right, yes, this is Lena, she is a literal genius, so she may also be able to help us!” Kara blurts out, clearly a bit embarrassed. “Lena, this is Sara and Ava. They are captains of the Waverider and leaders of the Legends. They are in charge of making sure the timeline stays intact.”

Lena raises her eyebrow at Kara. “When you say timeline…”

Ava jumps in at this time point, “That’s right, we time travel.”

“Ok, yes, whatever the mission is, I’m definitely helping.” Lena says, without a second thought.

“Excellent, then let’s get going,” Sara says.

“Wait!” Kara exclaims, “I have to tell Alex and Nia so they can cover for me at both of my jobs. Also, Lena, doesn’t someone need to cover for you at LuthorCorp?

“I’ll shoot Sam and Jess a quick email…”

“Five minutes, and then we have to go.”


	2. Chapter 2

The four women arrive back on the Waverider. Sara and Ava give Lena and Kara a brief tour of the ship and introduce them to Gideon. Not surprising, Lena is fascinated by Gideon and the technology utilized to create her. While her and Gideon chat about it, Ava also engages in the conversation. It is clear that Ava is similarly brilliant. The conversation, however, is cut short as Sara interrupts them to remind them of the mission that brought them all together.

“Alright, so, Kara, Lena, the reason we are asking for your help, is apparently, in 2021, about a week from when we picked you two up, there is supposed to be a comet that passes near earth… the problem is… now it doesn’t pass by Earth.”

“It hits Earth,” Lena finishes.

“Oh, Rao,” Kara says, sinking into a chair. “How are we supposed to stop a comet from hitting the planet?”

“By finding who changes its course,” Lena and Ava say simultaneously. They smile at each other, glad to see they are on the same page with what is the start of the plan.

Kara is still sitting in the chair, somewhat spaced out and still quiet and Lena, Ava, and Sara talk about how to narrow down who would have the technology to even accomplish such a feat. A few minutes go by before Kara starts to get that feeling that she hasn’t had since that day she was trapped in the Fortress of Solitude… like she can’t breathe… She can feel herself starting to hyperventilate… She looks up and sees the three women working over the supercomputer… She can’t do that here… not in front of them… she is Supergirl… She superspeeds away without a second thought.

Lena, all too familiar to the feeling and sound of that slight swooshing sound that Kara makes as she uses her superspeed, looks up, realizing that Kara is no longer in the room. Eva and Sara seem to not have noticed. Lena excuses herself at that moment to look for Kara. It takes her about ten minutes to find Kara, who is sitting on the floor of the Cargo Bay, her head on her knees, with that same blank expression on her face that she had when she first heard about the comet. Lena approaches her slowly.

“There you are.”

“Here I am,” Kara responds, lifting her head off her knees, feigning a smile.

“Everything ok?” Lena asks, cautiously.

“Yep, everything’s fine,” Kara says, standing up abruptly, attempting to walk out of the Cargo Bay past Lena and back to the Bridge with her head down. Lena puts a hand on Kara’s arm as she walks by and Kara freezes.

“Hey, Kara. You know you can talk to me, right?” At this, Kara turns and finally looks Lena in the eyes. Lena has nothing but concern on her face. Kara nods, letting Lena know that she heard her.

“So, what is it, Kara? What is bothering you?” Lena asks it in such a soft, caring tone. A tone that Kara hasn’t heard from her friend Lena in so, so long. It’s almost too much to take. Her chest feels so heavy knowing she could lose another home. Her eyes well up with tears and she turns fully so she hug her friend deeply as the tears finally come. The weight of the panic attack she had moment ago finally being released with the tears.

Lena holds Kara in the hug, rubbing her back, letting her cry, without saying a word. After a few minutes, the tears quiet but Kara doesn’t pull away yet. Lena waits patiently, quietly. Finally, Kara breaks the hug, sitting back down in the Cargo Bay and looking up to Lena, asking her to join her without words. Lena smiles and nods, sitting down across from her. After she sits, she reaches over and grabs Kara’s hands in hers to let her know she isn’t alone.

After a few more moments, Kara finally speaks.

“I can’t lose another home planet Lena.”

Oh. Oh. Oh. Lena feels like such an idiot for not realizing sooner how close to home this would hit Kara. She feels like such a horrible friend. She attempts to shake off those feelings and be here now for her friend. She gives Kara hands a gentle squeeze to remind her she is there for her. Kara half smiles at her, before she continues to explain what happened.

“I just… the thought of losing Alex… of losing you…. The thought of losing another home… it caused me to have another attack.”

“Attack?” Lena asks for clarification.

Kara hesitates, knowing that what she is about to say is something Lena doesn’t know, and is going to probably make Lena feel even more terrible for her actions… but she also knows that Lena doesn’t want there to be any more secrets between them, that Lena wants them to be able to talk to each other opening about things, even if it is difficult. So, she takes in a deep breath and explains.

“You know that I was in the phantom zone for a long time and I am technically older than Kal. I was stuck in my pod that entire time, not awake, but not exactly asleep. When I got to Earth… I had these anxiety attacks related to enclosed spaces. I had them for the first year or so I was here. And then I didn’t have them for a long time. After I became Supergirl, I fought a metahuman who could tap into your fears and she forced me to relive some of mine, which included being back in the pod. And… well, since then, I occasionally have these attacks when I am in enclosed spaces or am reminded of Krypton or the pod…” Kara trails off as she sees the realization dawn on Lena’s face. This is quickly replaced by shock and horror as Lena withdraws her hands away from Kara’s.

“Kara… I… I didn’t know… The Fortress… How could I do that to you… you must have been so scared…”

Kara reaches out this time and grabs Lena’s hands in her own.

“Lena, hey, I know you didn’t know. How could you? I never told you who I was and by the time I did… we never made time for me to really show you some of the more… intimate sides of me… some of the darker parts of myself. The ones that people don’t get to see because they aren’t part of Supergirl or part of Kara Danvers… they are part of Kara Zor-El.”

Lena still looks appalled at this discovery, but she nods at Kara, nonetheless.

“Look, Lena, when Sara told me about the Comet, it made me scared I’m about to lose everything when I felt like I was finally just getting it all back. And that felt really overwhelming. That caused the attack. Usually I have to find a way to just deal with it by myself and that takes… hours. But this time, you were here, and look, I am already doing so much better.”

This sentiment seemed to snap Lena out of her own headspace somewhat, as she smiled at Kara finally, and then firmly stated “Kara, I promise I will always be here for you.” Kara, somewhat taken aback by the serious but heartfelt statement, nodded, before responding “Me too, Lena. I’m not going anywhere.”


	3. Chapter 3

Lena and Kara return to the Bridge a short while later to find that Ava and Sara, with the help of Gideon, have narrowed down the potential threat to one of three tech companies. Within those three companies, they are now attempting to narrow down potential employees who would or could potentially pull something off at this scale. Gideon is currently running the simulations and thus there is nothing for the four women to do at this moment but wait. Kara decides she is in need of food after the tears and emotional discussion with Lena, so Sara volunteers to take her to show her how the fabricator works. Kara is so excited to try every kind of pot sticker that Gideon can make.

Meanwhile, Ava and Lena are in the office discussing potential reasons a person or organization might want to change the trajectory of a comet and the technology from 2021 that could potential do it.

“Well, perhaps the tech isn’t from 2021.” Ava suggests.

“Tech from the future?” Lena questions, giving her signature eyebrow raise.

“Another time traveler, perhaps. It is worth considering. We can add that into the equation, Gideon.”

“Already done Captain Sharpe.”

“I really need to get me one of these,” Lena says, laughing.

“Oh, but you really don’t. Gideon makes it very hard to have an actual personal life on this ship,” Ava retorts, also laughing.

“I assumed the seven shipmates ensured that Captain Sharpe,” Gideon chimes in, causing both women to laugh.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A while later, Sara and Kara return to the Bridge, spotting Lena and Ava in the office, both sitting across from each other with small coffee table between them, staring intently at a chessboard on the table, clearly locked in a heated game.

“Gideon, status report,” Sara commands.

“Captain Lance. Welcome back. Simulations are still running for both organizational level conspiracies and for individual level employees, two of the tech companies are complete and the last one is being completed now.”

“Excellent.” Sara walks over to the supercomputer and starts going through the data for the first two tech companies, anxious to start sorting through potential candidates who are pro mass extinction events.

Kara walks over and stands in the doorway of the office to watch the chess match play out, figuring that Lena would probably win within a few minutes given she was a chess prodigy at a young age. However, as the minutes tick by, she is frozen and can’t believe first, just how intense the game is, but also, that Lena has apparently failed to even realize she is there. Ava is apparently that good at chess. She might even be better than Lex. Kara has been standing by the door for ten minutes now and neither woman has looked up from the chessboard. They each take a full minute at a minimum before even taking their turn. It’s excruciating to watch. Kara has never played chess with Lena. Mostly because she doesn’t really know how. Suddenly, Kara feels like she is intruding on something, so she quietly backs away from the office and goes back to help Sara.

Sara looks up when she sees Kara coming up beside her, and notices that Kara has an odd expression on her face.

“Everything ok?” she asks.

Kara nods. “Yep. Lena and Ava are playing chess. They didn’t even notice me. So I figured I would come help you…” Kara trails off.

Sara grins, knowingly. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about there, Kara. Ava isn’t just Co-Captain of the Waverider. She is also my Co-Captain in life.”

Kara just stands there looking at Sara, mouth opening and then closing a couple of times, trying to process exactly what Sara is telling her.

“She is my girlfriend, Kara. So, you don’t have to worry about her making a move on Lena or anything like that.” Sara finishes with a chuckle.

This did nothing to abate Kara’s confusion. It did make her finally start talking though. “What? No! Lena and I are just friends! I mean, we were kind of enemies there for a little while. But we are friends again. Best friends!” She finishes with a huff, her cheeks a bit red.

Sara looks at Kara in disbelief before saying “Oh ok. My bad. I must have misread the room…”

Kara nods at Sara’s concession, before her curiosity gets the better of her. “Wait, what do you mean you must have misread the room?”

Sara smirks to herself before turning back to Kara with a normal expression on her face and explains “Well, for starters, you all were hanging out at your apartment at midnight, in comfy clothes. So, I guess I got the impression from that that maybe you two were more than friends.”

“We are just now getting our friendship back on track after everything that happened Sara. We used to have girls’ nights like that all the time…”

“Fair point. But just now, you seem jealous that Lena is spending time with Ava… especially when she didn’t seem to notice you…” Sara purposely lets that last part trail off, watching to see how Kara reacts. Kara is simply staring at Sara, eyes wide, in shock, like she is unable to process the information just given to her. After a few seconds of silence, Sara asks “Kara… you ok?”

After a moment, she responds, “Uh… yeah, I think I just need to take a walk around the ship. Some exercise will do me some good right now, I think.” She doesn’t wait for Sara’s response before turning around and walking off the Bridge. Sara shakes her head and chuckles to herself before going back to the data Gideon has gathered.

Meanwhile, Lena has just lost her first chess match in a decade. She sits back in her chair, staring at Ava, partly in awe, partly in disbelief.

“How?” she finally asks.

“Oh no. I will tell you that later, as promised. But a bet is a bet. So first, you will tell me something I want to know about you, Lena Luthor.”

Lena takes a big gulp, sighs, and nods. Surely, they know all they need to know about the Luthor’s. What more could they want to know?

“So, what is going on with you and Kara?”

That is not the kind of question Lena expected to be asked. It isn’t in the same ballpark. Hell, it isn’t even in the same league, in the same sport, or in the same country. Lena just stares blankly at her. “Excuse me?”

Ava repeats her question, word for word.

Lena sighs, not wanting to recount their entire friendship and how it imploded into becoming enemies before becoming friends again. She takes a deep breath before launching into the story.

“We were friends for years, but she never told me she was Supergirl… and then I found out in the worst possible way… And I reacted… like a Luthor… which means very very VERY poorly. And so, we both hurt each other a hell of a lot. And it took my maniacal brother and tyrannical mother to bring us back to work together and from there to repair the friendship which we were just starting to do.” Lena lets out her breath after she finishes the briefest explanation she could come up with, looking over the coffee table to see Ava laughing at her. Lena simply raises her eyebrow at her.

“That’s not what I meant,” was all Ava says.

“Then what did you mean?” Lena bites back.

Ava can see that Lena is getting a bit frustrated with her now. So, she settles herself down before speaking and gets serious. “I mean, right now, what is going on? I get that you two have been through a lot. And from what I can tell, you two have put each other through a lot of pain as friends. But I do have eyes, and I can see the way you look at her. The way you care for her. The way you know what she needs.” Ava says it all matter-of-factly, in her serious Time Bureau voice.

For a few moments, Lena simply looks at Ava. She then, simply asks her “You got all of that from being around Kara and I for what, 12 hours?”

Ava nods before stating “I didn’t know your history or anything about you. I knew a little about Kara from Sara. I am guessing that the people in your life… they know about everything that has happened between the two of you and can’t see past all of that. All I see is what is right in front of me, right now. That is what I was asking about.”

“And what did you see, Ava Sharpe?” Lena asks, curiosity getting the better of her.

Ava smiles at Lena. “I see a woman in love.” She puts it so simple, yet so deep, and no need for further elaboration. Lena smiles back at Ava but doesn’t respond. She knows she doesn’t have to.

“So, how did I beat the infamous Lena Luthor at chess, you ask? Well, did I mention I am a time traveler?” Lena is thankful for the change in topic. Because yes, she knows she is in love with Kara Zor-El. She has known it for quite some time. But she just got her back as a friend. After everything that has happened… having her in her life is the most important thing to her. She knows that. And she has currently resigned herself to that, to being in love with her friend. Because she knows she can’t go back to not having Kara in her life.


	4. Chapter 4

Lena and Ava come out of the office a short while later to find Sara going through the data with Gideon.

“Where is Kara?” Lena asks. Sara, who is facing away from Lena and Ava, smirks knowingly. As she turns around to face them, she replaces the smirk with a normal smile. “She took a walk to stretch her legs, I am sure she will be back shortly. How did the chess game go?”

Lena just glares at Ava when Ava chuckles at Sara’s question.

“Ah… Ava… did you tell her you were a… you know, the C word?”

At this, Lena looks confused with her eyebrow raised, looking first at Ava and then to Sara, waiting for an explanation. Surely Sara wasn’t referring to the C word she was thinking of?

“You take the fun out of everything,” Ava pouts at Sara before turning to Lena. “The C word that little miss big mouth over there is referring to… is Clone. I am technically a clone, from the future, from the year 2213. So… Sara likes to remind me that I might have an advantage when it comes to certain things… like games of strategy or fighting….” Ava says it like she is repeating a mantra she was forced to memorize. Which she basically was, by Sara.

Lena simply looks at Ava and smirks. “Thank you, Sara. Considering this new information, I will consider my winning streak for the last decade, to be intact then.” Ava rolls her eyes before conceding “For what it’s worth Lena, that was definitely the most intense game of chess I have ever played. You almost had me with that Bishop to e8 move you pulled. It was completely unexpected.” Lena smiles at this, knowing that the tactic she invented almost, just almost, beat a clone. Which was pretty freaking cool.

They hear the Bridge door open at this moment, and all three turn to see Kara walking back onto the Bridge. She gives them all a small smile and wave as she walks up to the supercomputer.

“What are we working on?” She asks the group, though she looks only at Sara, Lena notices.

Sara notices too. But decides this is a problem to be fixed after they save the earth. “Alright ladies, let’s look at what we have. Gideon has sifted through the thousands of employees at the three tech companies, one company is in the US, one in Japan, and one is in England. She has narrowed it down to a list of ten people who could potentially know something about what is going on at each company. Our job is to use the next day or two to figure out who does know something and what they know and go from there.”

“So, what’s the plan here?” Kara asks, “I mean, I’m the only super here, so I could potentially fly quickly from one location to the next. And maybe use my Supergirl persona to get people to talk. But can I do that at all three locations with enough time?”

“I think we need to split up.” Ava says.

“Yes, divide and conquer may be the best approach here,” Lena agrees.

Sara nods. “Ok, so we will split up into teams of two then. One team will start in Japan and the other in England. We will meet up in the US at the final company, if needed. Who knows, maybe one of us will luck out and find someone at one of the first two tech companies.”

“So, what are the teams?” Ava asks.

“I can go with Kara,” Lena volunteers, smiling.

“No! I mean, that isn’t a good idea,” Kara blurts out. “What I mean, is that, neither of us are familiar with the time travel devices and such so we should probably split up and pair up with a Legend each, just to be safe.” Kara says, trying to backtrack. She chances a glance at Lena. Lena looks at her, surprise written her face at first, followed by a flash of hurt, before her face returns to neutral.

“Yeah ok, that makes logical sense. I can go with Ava.” Lena says flatly.

Kara feels like she has been punched in the stomach.

Sara and Ava look at each other, knowingly, before Sara says “Ok, that means I’m with Kara. Kara and I will start in Japan. I will brush up on my Japanese. Ava and Lena, you two can start at the England facility. We leave in 20.”

“Oh. My. Captain Lance, I just got an update that may be of interest to your current investigation.”

“Yes Gideon.”

“I expanded my search within each tech company looking through their current and pending patents, and cross referenced that with future technology known to – “

“Get to the point Gideon, please.”

“Each of the three companies has one piece of tech, that when combined could be utilized to build a machine that is capable of adjusting the trajectory of the comet just enough to cause the collision.”

“So, we have to go to all three companies.”

“Well, I also just ran through and checked to see if anyone had overlap with all three companies in the past ten years. And it turns out only five people are on that list.”

“That is a much shorter list Gideon.”

“Indeed, Captain.”

“New plan! Let’s go pay these five individuals a visit.”

“According to current data, each of the individuals are spread out across the map at the following locations: Japan, England, US, Russia, and Australia. Three of them work at each of the respective companies currently, though have worked at the others in the past. The other two have ties to all three companies, though currently appear to run their own small tech companies.

“So, are we still splitting up?” Ava asks, hesitantly, unsure of how Sara wants to handle the apparent interpersonal conflict that is building between Kara and Lena amid the world ending timeline crisis.

“Let’s think this through. The three at the current companies are probably the lower level henchmen, in charge of locating and stealing the tech and transporting it. So that means one of the other two are likely in charge of the operation. So, I say yes, we split up, one team to Russia and one team to Australia, and we bring back the leaders of these tech companies for a nice chat.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As everyone is preparing to head out, Sara asks to speak to Ava in her office privately for a moment. When Lena gives them a curious look, Sara simply winks at Lena and says, “girlfriend stuff” and rushes off, closing the door behind them. Lena smiles weakly at Kara after Ava and Sara leave, not sure what to say. Kara says she is going to go find the bathroom, and wanders off, leaving Lena to her thoughts.

“What are we going to do about these two?” Sara asks Ava.

“I thought we were doing girlfriend stuff?” Ava says smirking.

“Aw… babe.” Sara pulls Ava in by the hips and gives her a kiss. “But seriously, I tried talking to Kara about Lena and it is like Kara never even realized before today that she has romantic feelings for Lena…”

“Oh, that’s funny, because I talked to Lena about Kara. And Lena definitely knows she is in love with Kara. But she is afraid to say or do anything. I guess they had a big falling out in their friendship last year when Lena found out Kara is Supergirl. And they are just now getting back to being friends. Lena is terrified of jeopardizing that friendship, so I doubt she will say anything about her feelings to Kara anytime soon.”

“Wow. What a mess those two are. Ok, first things first, stop the comet from hitting earth. Then we can worry about figuring out how to get Kara and Lena to admit their feelings for each other, deal?”

“Deal.” They seal the deal with a kiss, before exiting the office and coming back out onto the Bridge. Lena has to wonder if Kara was using her superhearing given her convenient timing of walking back to the Bridge herself just as Sara and Ava are exiting the office. She tries not to think that, she really does. But Kara has barely said a word to her, let alone looked at her since she went to get something to eat earlier that day. She has no idea what has changed since then. She doesn’t understand why Kara is acting so standoffish with her, why she is being so distant with her. Why is Kara pulling away?


	5. Chapter 5

**Russia**

Lena and Ava are sitting in a coffee shop, across from a 10-story building in Saint Petersburg. The building has a lot of security, more security than the women would have expected for a small tech company, immediately making them suspicious.

“Gideon send us everything you have on the leader of this company, particularly if you have a photo of this person,” Ava whispers into her comms.

The women go through the files which include schematics of the building. They decide it is too risky to break in and then break out in order to kidnap them, so they will have to wait until the CEO leaves to make their move. So now they are going through the files to find out what the head of this company looks like.

“Ah, I finally found… her,” says Lena, showing the photo to Ava.

“Excellent. Gideon is working on hacking into their system so we can get an idea of her calendar and see when she might be leaving for the day, so we have a better idea of when to make our move. In the meantime, we wait.”

Lena goes up to get more coffee and some lunch for the two of them. She returns with a salad for each of them.

“You know, I can appreciate someone else who also appreciates a good salad,” Lena says as she takes a bite of her food.

Ava laughs, “I take it Kara isn’t into healthy eating habits?”

“Ha, no.” Lena leans in and then whispers “She doesn’t have to be. She is Kryptonian,” and winks before continuing to talk at a normal level “She loves to make fun of me for eating things like Kale.” The women laugh and chat more about Lena and her relationship with Kara. Ava thinks about it, and she knows she agreed to wait until after the crisis was averted to talk to Lena about everything… but she also knows she will be probably be waiting here for a much longer time… so she decides it wouldn’t hurt. Two birds, one stone, and what not.

“You know, for what it’s worth, I think you and Kara have a very special bond. It’s not something I’ve seen very many people find.” This bold statement causes Lena to pause midchew and stare at Ava for a moment before she remembers that yes, she is actually still eating her lunch. She finishes the bite she was on before putting her fork down, deciding that there is no way she is finishing the rest of the meal after a comment like that.

She clears her throat. “I’m um… I’m not exactly sure what to say to that kind of statement.”

“It was more of an observation, from an outsider’s perspective. From someone who isn’t so entwined in your life or in Kara’s life. I just thought you should know what I see. Beyond what I said earlier. I don’t see something that is one sided.”

“Hm.” Lena nods, taking in this information. Sure, she has thought sometimes Kara might have romantic feelings towards her, occasionally, sometimes. But then those moments would pass. And besides, that was all before. Before she found out Kara is Supergirl. Before she used kryptonite on her. Before she trapped her in a confined space. Before she practically broke Kara like she had meant to do. Because she felt so broken by Kara. Now she felt like she was mending. With Kara’s friendship again. Things felt better. They weren’t quite whole. But they were better. Her life was slowly being stitched back together, piece by piece. And she knew it would never be the same between her and Kara, but she also knew how much better she felt having sewn together heart with Kara in her life. Kara the friend was better than no Kara. And she was finally getting to see the whole Kara, Kara Zor-El. Not just Kara Danvers. Not just Supergirl. Not two separate entities, but a whole person. And knowing that, that made her start to feel whole again too. Whole enough to start to show Kara her whole self, too, if she will let her.

**Australia**

Across the world, Kara and Sara are sitting the waiting area of a skyscraper in Perth Australia. According to their data, the tech company runs out of the 28th floor of this building. But they need a special pass to get off above the 15th floor. Kara said she could just fly them up, but Sara insisted they use a stealthier approach than Supergirl this time. Thus, similar to Ava and Lena, they are waiting for the CEO to leave work for the day so they can follow him home. Currently, Kara is sitting by the big windows overlooking the Western coast into the Indian Ocean. Kara is staring off, clearly lost in thought. Sara, who has been giving Kara space for most of this trip and only communicating about the plan when needed, has been scoping out the building and its security for most of the morning. However, seeing how out of sorts Kara still is, decides she cannot wait any longer to talk to Kara. She will just have to apology to Ava later for breaking her promise to wait until after stopping the comet to talk to Kara. She plops down next to Kara, who barely registers her appearance.

“Kara.”

“Sara.” Kara doesn’t even turn to look at her. She just keeps looking out over the ocean.

“Kara, look, I’m sorry if what I said before was out of line. I didn’t realize you had never thought about Lena as more than a friend.”

“It isn’t that, exactly.”

“What is it then? Because you have been walking around like I kicked a puppy since we talked.”

Kara sighs and finally looks Sara in the face. She looks away again, this time down at the ground. She starts wringing her hands anxiously as she begins talking. “On Krypton, we were so much more advanced… from a science and technologically perspective. We didn’t have terms like sexuality. People were birthed in a machine, not out of bodies anymore. So, it didn’t matter who you married from that standpoint. Most marriages were arranged when you were a young adult based on compatibility. So, I didn’t grow up thinking about preferences and partners and attraction. Because I didn’t have to. But I also saw couples all around me of all kinds, women with men, men with men, women with women. All of them having children and being happy but also having their own problems. Sometimes I heard of couples who married that weren’t arranged, but they were rare. And then I came to earth as a teenager and I came to a country that was all about free will and being with someone because you loved them, but it was a specific kind of love. So now I was learning about these different kinds of love. Familial love was the easiest kind of love for me to understand. I loved my parents. So, I got that one. I eventually loved Alex and her parents in that same way. I learned to build a family on Earth the way I had a family on Krypton. But then there was romantic love, now that was the hardest for me to grasp. And I still struggle with it. Dating in high school was way too hard. I was still getting a grasp on my powers and I was always so nervous at the thought of even kissing someone, so I never did. In college I went on a few dates, but I would just get so nervous I would sometimes hurt the person! And then I finally started to get a handle on things for a while but didn’t have much luck with anyone. I thought it would be easier to stick to dating men. That made the most sense to me. And then I met Mon-El. And he was so… infuriating at first. But he grew so much in such a short time. And the thing was… I didn’t have to hold back with him because he was like me. Not exactly like me but he wasn’t human so we could be intimate without me having any fear of really hurting him. And then I had to send him away. And when he came back from the future. I knew I still loved him, but it wasn’t the same. He was the man I had always wanted him to be. But he was never that man with me. Which just made me resent him a little bit. So, I knew we could never be together. I knew he was better off in the future, with Imra. She made him want to be an even better man than I ever could. She inspired him in ways I wasn’t capable of. And by the end of it all, we had formed such a strong friendship. And I realized I loved him, but only as a friend, nothing more. And I’m not sure if I ever really did. I identified a lot with him because we both lost our home planets and were the last of our kind in so many ways. And we were both heroes in our own rights. And I wanted to love him for all of those reasons. But if I was being completely honest with myself, something always felt off between us, something felt just… not quite right between us. But I kept ignoring that little voice in my head and tried to make us fit together anyway.”

At this point, Kara has tears in her eyes. This is the first time she has ever admitted out loud, this truth. She has thought it, plenty of times. But it has been three years since he returned to the future, and this is truly the first time she has admitted to anyone else the truth that she has known since before she sent him away in that pod all those years ago. They weren’t meant to be. He always belonged in the future. It wasn’t a coincidence that he ended up there, she truly believes that. Sara hasn’t said anything yet, she has simply put her arm around Kara to let her know she is there, listening, waiting for Kara to continue sharing all of these thoughts that have been weighing on her for all these years. Thoughts she hasn’t shared with anyone for fear of what? Sara isn’t sure. But she knows that Kara’s truths are safe with her, away from National City and she will keep them safe for all her life.

After a few more moments to collect herself, Kara continues. “You know, when I first met Lena, I was utterly speechless. I was mesmerized by her desire to make a name for herself outside of her family. That spoke so strongly to me because I was doing the same, trying to make a name for myself, outside of my own cousin, Superman. How could it not? But I couldn’t tell her. Everyone always told me how dangerous it was to tell people who I really was. And to tell a Luthor? They kept warning me she was bad news. But I knew, Sara, I knew she wasn’t! I should have listening to my own instincts all those years ago. I wanted to tell her so long ago. But I listened to everyone else instead. And then we were broken. And apart. I tried to fix it. But that just made things worse. So, I did the one thing I said I would never do, and I left her alone. I gave up. I hated myself for it… I still do. I should have never done that. That wasn’t me. I don’t even recognize that person. I was so angry for so long after that. I was angry at myself, but I took it out on Lena when she did finally come back to me. Again, who was that person? Why was I shutting out the one person I wanted in my life in the very moment she was doing the one thing I wanted her to do, which was to come back to me. I told her if she ever came back to me, I would be there for her. And then I wasn’t. Why would I do that? Why?”

Kara looks to Sara, eyes pleading for an answer. Sara gives Kara a half smile. “Kara, we all do things we regret. We do things that we wouldn’t normally do when we are hurting, when we are in pain… things that don’t make sense to ourselves after the fact. All I can tell you is that Lena, your Lena, she is here now. You both have been through hell and back these past couple of years and have come out the other side, not unscathed by any means. It sounds like both of you have a lot of scars that need to heal. But maybe you can help each other heal together.”

“I didn’t know this is what being in love feels like Sara. I never realized it, because I have never experienced it before.” Kara blurts it out into the ether.

“Well, the first step is admitting it Kara. The next step is figuring out what you are going to do about it,” Sara says, smiling, giving Kara a pat on the back, pulling her in for a hug. Kara puts her head on Sara’s shoulder, and goes back to staring out at the ocean.


	6. Chapter 6

The four women apprehend the two tech moguls easily. Of course, it helps having a former assassin, a superhero, a clone, and a literal genius. They all return shortly after with the two tech leaders in separate containment spaces and then return to the Bridge to discuss a strategy for getting them to talk. Sara of course wants to employ some “old school” assassin techniques. Ava votes for more lawful techniques. Lena says she could probably go back and find the baby truth-seeker Lex had if she had enough time. Kara simply says Alex would be good to have for this part of the mission. Unsurprising to Sara, Ava says, rather smugly, “I can handle the interrogation just as well, if not better, than Alex could.” Lena isn’t sure why, but she can tell Ava clearly does not like Alex. Lena makes a note that the next time she plays _and_ beats Ava at chess, she will have to ask her. On the other hand, Kara clearly knows why Ava reacted that way, and decides it would be best to not mention her sister again for the remainder of the mission.

“Ok, look, I will go talk to Australia. Ava, you go talk to Russia. Let’s just see what we can get out of them separately first,” Sara finally declares. Ava nods and heads off to begin her interrogation, eager to prove she is better at this than Alex, even if Alex will never see it. Sara looks at Lena and Kara before leaving. “You two going to be ok by yourselves?” Kara smiles at Sara and nods before looking at Lena and smiling. Lena gives her a tentative smile back before she returns to tinkering with some tech her and Ava were discussing earlier.

Kara approaches Lena slowly. Lena doesn’t look up though she sees Kara approach through her peripheral vision. She waits for Kara to make the first move, still feeling hurt from how Kara had been acting earlier in the day.

“Lena?” Kara asks softly, somewhat hesitantly.

Lena looks up to see Kara looking anxious, hands tied together in front of her. “Yes, Kara?”

“I owe you an apology… I wanted to say that I am sorry for the way I acted earlier today before we left for the mission. I was being distant… cold even. I’m very sorry.”

Kara Danvers isn’t the most direct person when it comes to her own feelings, Lena knows that. Kara Zor-El however, might be a bit more direct. Lena isn’t sure yet. She decides to probe further.

“May I ask why you were being that way with me?”

Kara bounces from one foot to the other thinking about how to explain her behavior to Lena, finally deciding that she should just be as honest as she can because she can’t keep hiding from Lena. “Well, Sara accused me of being jealous when I saw you playing chess with Ava. And I got upset. So, I took a walk, but the walk just made me think of a lot of different things and that made me feel very overwhelmed. So, then I just thought it best if I maintain some space until the mission was over. But then Sara and I talked it over and I feel a little bit better about it all.”

“You were jealous of me and Ava… playing chess? What exactly made you upset about that, Kara?” Kara grits her teeth and thinks _of course that is the part of the explanation you focus on woman!_

“Uh… I stood in the doorway watching you two play for ten minutes or so… you didn’t notice me…”

“Yes, I did.”

“Wait, what?” Kara exclaims.

“Kara, Darkling. I did see you there from the corner of my eye. You were leaning against the doorframe, smiling at first, watching us intensely play. I just didn’t address you because I was very focused on trying to beat an apparently unbeatable Clone. In fact, I was doing quite well until you went away. I think you were my luck charm. Or perhaps you leaving distracted me.” Lena says with a devilish smile.

Kara stares intently at Lena for a moment before simply responding “Oh.” Kara looks down at the ground, unsure of what to say next. She feels somewhat defeated.

“Kara, were you being cold and distant towards me because you thought I didn’t notice you?”

Kara looks back up to see Lena giving her a look with her eyebrow raised, her hands have since put the tech down and are at her sides, waiting for an answer, solely focused on Kara now.

“No… it’s not like that,” is all Kara can say, looking down to her hands. At this point, Lena walks around the table she was working at and up to Kara. She sighs, debating what to do, before ultimately deciding to reach out and grab Kara’s hands with her own. This makes Kara look up at her.

“So, what is it like, Kara? Remember our conversation from this morning. You can tell me anything. I meant what I said this morning. I’m not going anywhere. Not ever again.”

Kara stares into Lena’s green eyes, searching them deeply. She thinks back to all the moments they shared, with her as Kara Danvers and as Supergirl. The times they looked at each other, just like this, eye to eye. How did she not see it before now?

“It’s complicated, but I want to talk to you and tell you about growing up on Krypton. How certain things were different on Krypton than they are on Earth. And how that has made some things difficult for me since being on Earth.”

“Ok… are you thinking about something specific here Kara?”

“Yes… specifically dating and mating.”

“Ok.” Lena isn’t running away yet. She didn’t even falter any in her response. Her hands didn’t pull away or tense in any way. Her heartrate didn’t change. Nothing changed. She is here, present, focused on Kara, who is aware of any and all minute changes Lena might make. Kara is suddenly filled with so much courage knowing Lena isn’t repelled in the slightest about this topic with her.

“Krypton had arranged marriages for the most part, people rarely married for love. We didn’t have sexuality like there is on Earth. It was all about compatibility. So, I was accustomed to marriages being arranged regardless of gender. That was nothing new to me. What was so new and beyond my understanding was the idea of romantic attraction. Having to understand that while also learning how to deal with these powers that were also brand new. It was so much. And so, I put off dating until I was an adult. As you can image, it made for some awkward and sometimes painful dates for my partners.” Kara laughs, remembering the time she accidentally stepped on the toes of a guy she was dancing with… and broke them.

“Anyway, what I am trying to say is, I have always struggled with what exactly romantic love is. And when I became Supergirl, the idea of being with anyone in that way became even more abstract because I couldn’t tell them… and I think that is one of the reasons that made Mon-El so appealing to me. He knew me first as Supergirl. That, plus he wasn’t human, so I couldn’t hurt him which means I didn’t have to be careful when we were intimate. We could just be. And so I tried to force it to work in a way I knew deep down it never would.”

Lena is surprised at this revelation by Kara. She felt so guilty for creating the technology that sent Kara’s boyfriend away. For months, she felt Kara was out of touch with her and she knew she was responsible. “Kara, you loved him.” She finally states. She knows she did.

Kara nods, conceding before stating “I did, in a way. But when he came back from the future. It became clear to me that I loved him more as a friend than as a life partner. And I loved more of the idea of him, of what he could be, of what he did become, than of who he was when he was here on Earth, with me. The truth is, he had to leave, so that he could go to the future and ultimately become the man he became. If he had stayed, he would have always been in my shadow, always try to live up to my expectations and never creating his own goals and expectations. I see now that he was always meant to live his life in the future, with Imra.”

Lena nods, understanding exactly what Kara means. Lena has been in love in the past, just once. But she knew she had to leave in order for herself to grow. She was Mon-El in this analogy. It was a relationship that was never meant to last. And that was ok.

Sara and Ava walk onto the Bridge at this moment urgently, but halting when they see Kara and Lena standing there, embracing hands, clearly in a tender moment. Lena smiles at Kara, who smiles back and nods, knowing that while this conversation isn’t over, they have more pressing issues to attend to. Both turn toward the other women.

“What do we have?” They ask in unison.


	7. Chapter 7

Sara and Ava were both successful at getting their captives to talk, as neither wanted to be captives on a timeship. It turns out that the tech companies had been competing on the Dark Web, buying and selling alien tech and other stolen tech for some time, before deciding that they would make more money by working together. So, while they had become quite the online acquaintances over the past few years, it wasn’t until about a year ago that they finally met in person. And then about six months later, they fell in love. And that is when they came up with the idea to come up with the biggest con by selling a machine that could alter the trajectory of satellites that orbit the Earth. However, both CEO’s swear that it was supposed to be a con because once the machine showed proof of concept, they had planned to replace the three stolen parts with three fake parts and sell it with the defected parts instead. The plan was then for the two CEO’s to retire together and disappear to a remote location and run away together. They knew their respective companies and families would never let them just leave, so they had plans to fake their own deaths. It was quite the Romeo and Juliet story. Except this one involved a giant comet somehow getting hit instead of a satellite and getting pulled toward the Earth during their “proof of concept” stage of the sale. Needless to say, once the CEO’s were informed of what exactly happens to the Earth, both agreed that they couldn’t let that happen. So, Ben and Mary joined the team. As predicted by Sara, Ben and Mary had three people working on the inside, one at each tech company, to “borrow” the three parts to provide proof of concept. Step one was to communicate with the three people and cancel the plan. Step two was to help Ben and Mary fake their deaths. Step three was to drop them off at their desired location with enough supplies and money to get them started. Sara and Ava may have snuck into Rick’s room and “borrowed” some artifacts from their trips to the past to help with this part of the plan.

After dropping Ben and Mary off at a disclosed location, the four women return to the Waverider.

“Gideon, what’s the timeline looking like for the next week?” Sara asks, hopeful.

After a few moments, Gideon states “The timeline has been restored. The comet will pass by the Earth in two days’ time. It will be quite a site to see Captain.”

“Would you two like to stay on the ship and hang out by the moon to see the comet?” Sara asks. “We actually aren’t due to pick up the rest of the Legends for another four days. So, we do have the time.”

Kara looks to Lena to see what she would like to do. Lena already knows that Kara would never miss a chance to go to space, as she usually only gets to go because a mission requires it.

“I think we should stay,” Lena says with a smile.

“Great. I’ll show you two to Zari and Charli’s rooms. They are likely the cleanest,” Ava says as she leads them down the hall toward the bedrooms.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lena is sitting in Zari’s room, brushing her hair out after a much needed shower, thinking about her conversation with Kara from earlier that day. She feels like Kara had much more to say, but she isn’t really sure exactly what she was trying to tell her. Then she remembers, she is on a timeship.

“Gideon?”

“Yes, Ms. Luthor?”

“You detect anomalies in the timeline, right?”

“That is correct.”

“So, you know the future?”

“I do, Ms. Luthor. But I believe I know where this conversation is going. And you must know. I am actually not allowed to tell any of the Legends any details of their own futures, for risk of accidentally changing them.”

“Ah. I see… But Gideon. I am not a Legend.”

“You are a Legend Ms. Luthor, according to Captain Lance, now that you have completed your first mission on the Waverider.”

“Humph… ok. Could you tell me something about someone else’s future?”

“What do you want to know, Ms. Luthor?”

“Does Kara Zor-El… does she get her happy ending?”

“I’m not sure I understand that question. I have records of the timeline, but they are all facts and events. Not of specific emotions, Ms. Luthor.”

“Oh yes, right, Sorry Gideon. Does Kara get married?”

“Yes.”

“Does she have children?”

“Yes.”

“Good… good. I am glad.”

“Ms. Luthor. There are pictures in the future. She does look… quite happy in them.”

Lena smiles, knowing that, regardless of what happens to her, that someday Kara will get what she wants. She knows Kara wants a family. They talked about it, ages ago, before everything. Kara wants to eventually get married and have a couple of kids. It makes more sense now, knowing she is Supergirl. It is probably super important to her that she pass on her Kryptonian heritage to her children. Lena didn’t know that then, but she knows that now. Kara Zor-El, the full person, coming more and more into view, making more and more sense as a whole person. With these thoughts, Lena lays down on the bed and sleeps restfully for the first time in what feels like years.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Kara is in Charli’s room, just waking up from a much needed nap after eating more food than any one person could think they are capable of consuming. She superspeeds through a shower and changes into a fresh pair of clothes and then opens up her journal and starts writing about all of the thoughts that have been swimming through her head these last few days. After she finishes, she starts to think about how she is going to tell Lena she is in love with her. But then starts to panic.

“Gideon?”

“Yes, Ms. Danvers?”

“How do I tell someone I am in love with them?”

“I may be a supercomputer, but I am not sure I am capable of answering this particular question.”

Kara falls back onto the bed and sighs. “I just… How do I know this won’t ruin everything we just rebuilt? How do I know I am not going to ruin everything in the future at some point? Is it better to play it safe? I just… ugh. I don’t know.”

“Ms. Danvers?”

“Yes Gideon?”

“I thought I would let you know that while I am forbidden to tell you anything about your own future, you could ask me about someone else’s future.”

Kara shoots up off the bed. “Gideon.”

“Yes, Ms. Danvers?”

“Can you tell me about Lena Luthor’s future?”

“What would you like to know?”

“Does she ever get out of the shadow of her family name?”

“Yes, she establishes a new legacy under a new name eventually and helps make new technology with a new business partner that creates change at a global level. She is no longer known as a Luthor, but as Lena. I am afraid I cannot say more, for risk of changing the timeline, however.”

Kara smiles wide. “That’s amazing Gideon. I can’t wait to meet this business partner she works with. They must be super smart, like Lena.”

“They are quite intelligent, yes. Would you like to know anything else?”

“Um… I guess about her personal life. Does she ever… you know… get married?”

“Yes, Ms. Luthor does eventually get married.”

“And does she have a family of her own one day?”

“She does have children, yes.”

“Wow, Lena, with a family of her own. That is amazing.”

“She looks quite happy in the pictures, if I do say so myself, Ms. Danvers.”

Kara smiles, knowing that if Lena is smiling in a photo, that she is truly happy, because not only is she smiling, but she is letting photos be taken.

“Thank you for that Gideon. It makes me happy to know that Lena accomplishes everything she set out to do by moving to National City all those years ago. And it makes me extra happy to know she one day also gets to have a family of her own.” Kara smiles and lays back down on the bed, closing her eyes and finally feeling a little bit more at peace, thinking that maybe, just maybe, the future isn’t so bad if Lena can find happiness.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Kara finds Lena drinking coffee in Zari’s room, reading a book. She is carrying two plates of pancakes.

“Good morning,” Lena greets Kara.

“I brought breakfast!” Kara exclaims.

Lena laughs, “I see that.” She says, putting her book down. “Did you happen to bring anything besides pancakes with you?” Lena asks, smirking, already knowing the answer.

“Hey, we are in space, calories don’t count in space.” Kara says with a giant grin on her face. Lena can’t help but smile widely at seeing Kara so happy and carefree. Lena laughs and takes the smaller plate of pancakes, leaving the obviously larger plate of pancakes for Kara. The two chat lightly over breakfast about the book Lena is reading and what being in space is like. They talk about their plans for the coming weeks with work as well. Kara mentions working on a couple of new articles for Catco with Nia. That’s when Lena remembers one of Kara’s other colleagues, one that Kara long ago, actually went on a date with. She wonders if maybe that is someone who Kara could marry.

“What about William? You haven’t mentioned him in a while.”

Kara seemed surprised at the sudden mention of him. “Oh… William? He is still around; we just tend to pursue different stories now.” Lena picks up on the fact that Kara seems to be dodging the topic a bit.

“But I swear I heard Alex mention a date between the two of you ages ago, around the time we took down Leviathan. I know we got busy after that hunting down my family. But what ever happened to that?”

Kara sighs. This conversation is taking a weird turn. Why is Lena bringing this up now? It has been months since Kara has really talked to William at work, let alone outside of work, which is why she hasn’t mentioned him. She realized after they took down Leviathan, after William recovered from getting shot, that while she respected William as a journalist and appreciated his friendship, she wasn’t interested in him romantically. Anytime he tried to pursue a second date with her, she just got extremely uncomfortable about the idea, just like she did for the first date. So, after the third time in which he asked her out for a second date, she explained to him just that. He took it decently well, well enough that they can still work in the same office, but not well enough that they hang out outside of work as friends anymore. Which she totally understands.

Kara realizes she has been lost in thought for a moment while Lena has been patiently waiting for an answer. She decided to keep it simply. “I realized after the first date that I wasn’t interested in William romantically. So, after the dust settled from Leviathan and everything, I explained that to him. So, yes, we still work together and are friendly at work, but no we are not dating, and no, are not really even friends right now.”

Lena simply nods and takes in that information. So, apparently it is not William who Kara marries in the future.

They are silent for a few moments as they continue eating. Kara finally speaks up. “So… what about you?” Lena arches her eyebrow, questioning. “What about me?”

“Are you dating anyone?”

Lena literally just laughs out loud. Kara just smiles and tilts her head at Lena, waiting for an actual response.

“Oh, come on Kara. Who in their right mind is going to touch a Luthor with a ten-foot pole, let alone date one?”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Lena. Anyone would be lucky to have you. You’re brilliant, kind-hearted, gorgeous.” Both women blush at Kara’s admissions. Lena has heard Kara say these things about her in the past, usually whenever Lena was in a distraught state. Kara has never said it so openly, just simply put out there like that. “Besides, you dated Jack once upon a time. You could find someone like that again.”

This makes Lena chuckle a bit again. “Jack and I worked well together as colleagues. And I did love him, in a way, yes. But, similar to you and Mon-El, and how Mon-El had to leave so he could grow, I too had to leave Jack so I could grow. We were never meant to last. I can see now that we were meant to grow in different directions. Besides, I needed to be in National City, where Supergirl was.” Lena finishes with a smile.

“It’s been a crazy six years, Lena.” Kara says, matter-of-factly.

“It has, indeed, Kara. But you know, I don’t think I would change a thing.”

“Really? Not after everything that’s happened?”

“I think… that while I grew so much after Jack… I grew exponentially more after meeting you, Kara Zor-El. Not only that, but I spent a year embracing the most darkest traits of myself all because I was hurting and didn’t want to admit what was truly going on. So instead, I became exactly what I was always afraid of becoming – a true Luthor – a villain – and yet, somehow, I managed to, all by myself, walk away before it was too late, before I did something that even I couldn’t come back from. I couldn’t have ever done that if I hadn’t spent the previous three years working along side Supergirl and being best friends with Kara Danvers.”

Lena is holding Kara’s hand by the end of her monologue. Kara’s eyes are full of tears though none are coming out yet.

“I shouldn’t have given up on you,” is all Kara says before the tears start to fall.

“Oh, Darling. But don’t you see? You didn’t, not really. I knew you would have come if I had called you. I wanted to, so many times I almost did. But something always stopped me. But finally, finally I saw Lex for what he really was when he yelled right in my face. And right then and there I left and came right to your place. You let me into your apartment that very day. You would never have done that if you had truly given up on me.” Lena gives Kara’s hand a squeeze before reaching up and wiping away some of the tears that had fallen.

The women sit in silence after that. Kara lets the tears fall a little more. Months of pent up emotion that she thought she had gotten over, guilt that she was still carrying, finally released in that moment.

“Excuse me Ms. Luthor and Ms. Danvers.”

“Yes Gideon?” Lena answers for them.

“Sorry to interrupt your morning, but I wanted to let you know that the comet will be approach our view shortly and you will have a great view from the Bridge.”

“Thank you, Gideon.”

Kara wipes her eyes and face, trying to clean the evidence away. “How do I look?” She asks, trying to lighten the mood.

“Beautiful, as always Darling,” Lena answers, without missing a beat. “Shall we go join Ava and Sara for the comet viewing?” Kara nods and they stand up and head to the Bridge.

Ava and Sara were sitting cuddled together in a single chair, staring out into open space when Lena and Kara walked into the Bridge. By now, Ava and Sara had both confessed to each other their respective conversations with Lena and Kara, and hoped that this would help give each of them enough of a push to be more open and forthright with each other, especially now that the crisis was averted. Sara and Ava gave each other a look as the two entered the Bridge. While Kara and Lena seemed more at ease with each other, they were clearly still just friends. The two women shrugged and said good morning to Lena and Kara before returning to look out into the open void of space. Lena and Kara sat down beside each other at the viewing area as they returned the greeting to Sara and Ava.

“So, Gideon tells me the comet will be coming from this direction,” Sara points across the horizon to show everyone where to be watching for the comet. “We are far enough away from Earth currently, that we will be able to see it shortly. Everyone on Earth will be able to see it tomorrow. So, we can actually get an extra long showing of the comet.”

“My first live comet! And I’m seeing it from space!” Kara exclaims, clearly excited to be able to experience this. She looks over at Lena and shares a smile before looking back into space, thankful that she could be here, now, sharing this experience with her best friend, even after all that has happened. She wants to tell Lena that, but she isn’t sure she wants to say all of that in from of Ava and Sara, so she makes a mental note to tell Lena that later. What she doesn’t know is that Lena is equally as happy to be here, with her, and is basking in Kara’s simply happiness at experiencing such an event (in space!). Lena, unlike Kara, is less bashful in front of others, though, especially because she already knows that Ava, and thus presumably Sara, knows that she is in love with Kara.

“Kara, I’m so happy to be here, sharing this experience with you.”

Kara looks back over at Lena, smiling widely, wondering how it is this woman can read her thoughts. But then it dawns on her that Lena isn’t reading her thoughts, but that Lena has the same feelings that she has. That, even after everything that has happened between them, Lena too is glad to be here, with her, right now.

“Me too, Lena. You have no idea how much it means to me.”

“Oh, I think I do,” Lena challenges Kara with a smirk. Kara did not need her superhearing to also hear Sara chuckle under her breathe. She also didn’t need special eyesight to see Ava elbow Sara ever so slightly in the side when she did chuckle. Lena, whose back was turned away from the two, heard the exchange, and being a genius, figured that Ava was probably shutting Sara up with physical force of some kind.

Regardless, it seems Lena’s playful remark left Kara speechless. She is just staring back at Lena, unsure of what to say. Lena reaches over and touches Kara’s arm. “I was kidding, Darling. I just mean, it means a lot to me too, that we can be here now, after everything that has happened, that we have been through.”

That seemed to help settle Kara. She smiled at Lena and nodded. She was about to speak but was interrupted by Gideon.

“Apologies everyone, it seems we may have a bit of an issue with the comet after all.”

Sara and Ava jump out of the chair they were sharing. “What is it Gideon?” Sara demands.

“Well, it appears that one of the three workers for Ben and Mary did not follow their orders and instead decided to take it upon himself to go through with the sale of the weapon and make the money for himself. He contacted the other two workers to make sure they still stole their respective parts and is currently in the process of showing proof of concept.”

“So much for the space show. Let’s go.”

“I’m sorry Captain, I am afraid it’s too late for that.”

“What do you mean Gideon?”

“He showed proof of concept by dislodging several Earth satellites from their typical orbits. As a result, when the comet goes by Earth, it will hit several of them, causing a chain of events with other satellites and the international space station. This leads to several crash landings on the earth. While many will fall into the ocean, there are still several that hit land as well.”

“Oh no,” Kara whispers.

“How long do we have, Gideon?”

“We have 22 hours before the first impact, Captain Lance.”


	9. Chapter 9

“Kara, you can’t be serious,” Lena says, obviously perturbed.

“Why not? I have the time. I could just get all of the satellites that are at risk and safety take them down to Earth. I could explain to them why I had to do it.”

“You think the different governments and private organizations are all going to believe that you are doing it because some random employee at a tech company sold a weapon that could dislodge satellites from orbit and they just happen to do it in line with comet and oh by the way we know because we have time traveling friends that this causes catastrophic damage, and so we stopped that from happening?” Lena finishes, sarcastically.

“I know I can’t tell that all of that, obviously. But I could tell them part of it. People trust Supergirl.”

“But people hate having their ability to choose and make their own decisions taken away.” Lena counters.

“What else am I supposed to do?” Kara asks, exasperated, sitting and then sinking down into the chair.

Ava and Sara are watching this exchange with curious eyes. Unsure of whether to interrupt or not with their idea, knowing it might actually make Lena even more upset. Ava gives Sara a look that says, “You do it.” Sara rolls her eyes but clears her throat nonetheless.

“I might have an alternative plan.” With this statement, Kara sits up straighter in her chair, thinking that maybe an alternative plan will work better than her idea.

Lena sighs, thankful that someone has something better. “Great, what is it?”

“Well, to be honest, it’s a Legend’s plan, which means it is crazy. And to be honest, Lena, you are probably going to hate it even more than Kara’s plan…”

Lena just glares at Sara, before sighing and saying “Go on…”

“We steal the tech they created and alter the comet’s trajectory ourselves. But instead of altering so it goes towards Earth, we alter it, so it goes away from Earth. With Gideon’s help, we can make sure we align it correctly, so it won’t hit Earth anytime in the next few millennia.”

Lena eyes Sara cautiously. “Why would you think I wouldn’t like this plan, Sara?”

“Well… because I already had Gideon do the math. And with using the machine, we would still need some additionally assistant to move the comet…” Sara lets the sentence trail off as she looks away from Lena and to Kara. Kara’s mouth is slightly open and she looks from Sara to Lena and back to Sara.

“You want me to… move a comet?”

“Gideon did the calculations already. Between your strength and the technology, we should be able to adjust the comet’s trajectory, so it misses the Earth and all of its satellites completely.”

“No, absolutely not,” Lena says firmly.

“Lena”

“Kara”

They stare at each other. Sara looks over to Ava, who just shrugs. She knows this is the best plan they have with the timeframe they are given.

“Why don’t we give you two a moment to talk,” Ava finally says, and grabs Sara’s arm, pulling her away from the Bridge and down the hallway.

“Kara, no. This is way entirely too dangerous. I just got you back,” Lena starts, tears already forming in her eyes.

Kara gets up from her chair and takes the few steps to where Lena is standing, closing the distance between them. “Lena, if I don’t do this, thousands of people could die, maybe more. Earth could be devastated. I don’t want to lose you either. I promise you I wasn’t going anywhere. I fully intend on coming back from this mission. And I’ll be on comms the entire time.”

Lena is gritting her teeth and continuing to just shake her head left to right as she looks back into Kara’s blue eyes with her watery green ones. She can’t believe this is happening. How is this where they are? How is this the solution? Kara has to go into space and attempt to literally move a fucking comet? Are you kidding?

“Ok. I will go prepare your suit with some special upgrades to keep you safe.” Lena finally relents. She can’t say anything else, for fear that if she does, she will start crying and be unable to stop. She turns and goes toward the lab. She leaves Kara standing there. She passes Ava and Sara on the way to the lab, informs them what she is doing but does not ask for help. She tells them she will have the suit ready within a few hours. They return to the Bridge to find Kara sitting on the floor, staring out into space, deep in thought. Ava decided to take a walk. Sara meanders over and sits next to Kara.

“So, are you ready for this?” Sara asks, unsure exactly where Kara’s head is at.

“I should have told her. Why can’t I tell her?” Ah, so that’s where her head is at.

“You can tell her. And you will tell her, when the moment is right for you. I know a lot has been thrown at you over the past few days and you have had a lot to process. So when you are ready, you will tell her.”

“But… but what if I don’t come back from this?”

With that, Sara turns slightly and puts both of her hands on Kara’s shoulders, turning Kara to face her. “Hey, Kara, look at me.” Kara takes a moment but does finally look into Sara’s eyes. Sara can tell that Kara shed a few tears before she came and sat down beside her. “I have lost Legends before. But I have no intention of losing any today, you hear me? The four of us, we are completing this mission and then celebrating, ok?” Kara attempts to smile and nods at this sentiment, though Sara can tell that Kara is still concerned. The Paragon of Hope still loses her own way sometimes. Sara reminds herself she is the Paragon of Destiny and tries to channel that into what she says next.

“Kara, I know that you are meant to lead a full life, not just as hero, but as a person. I have seen the way that you care for others and just how much you try. And I saw how you and Barry were willing to sacrifice yourselves for the world. People like that, you are destined to get your happy ending, I promise. You will get yours.” Sara says all of this with such fervor, such resolve that Kara starts to believe her.

“Now, what do you say we go get some tech?” Sara asks.

“Oh, good. Because I could really punch something right now,” Kara says, as they get up to go find Ava and let Lena know they will be back later with the tech.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kara, Ava, and Sara return shortly after with the tech that will help them move the comet. Supergirl also made sure that the thieves were apprehended by the appropriate authorities while they were back on Earth.

It is a few hours later that Lena emerges from the lab. As requested, the other three women left her alone to upgrade Kara’s spaceflight suit. Lena walks up to Kara and gives her the compact device that, when pushed in the right place, will materialize into the suit. Kara gives her a gracious nod.

“Gideon, how much longer do we have before first impact and before we need to act to change the trajectory of the comet?” Sara asks.

“Well Captain, it is 12 hours until first impact. And six hours until optimal time for the use of the tech and Supergirl.”

“Alright everyone. That leaves us six hours to mentally prepare for this.”

Sara informs everyone that she is going to go do some physical training in the gym area of the Waverider. Kara decides to join her. Lena asks Ava to help her with a project in the lab to occupy her time.

As they are walking into the lab, Ava decided to prod a little bit. “I am surprised you wanted to work on a project instead of spend time with Kara.”

“This project is for Kara,” is all Lena says. She starts working without telling Ava what they are working on but does give Ava instructions as they go along. It doesn’t take Ava long to figure out what exactly they are working on. She smiles in aw, realizing just how much Lena really truly loves Kara.


	10. Chapter 10

Lena finds Kara and Sara a few hours later, still training. Kara is curious whenever Lena asks to speak to Sara in private. But she is quickly distracted as Ava asks Kara to spar with her. Sara and Lena return a short time later, and Sara informs everyone that they should start preparing everything for the final plan of their mission. They all walk back toward the Bridge to review the plan.

“Gideon bring up the schematics of the plan,” Sara says as they enter the Bridge.

“With pleasure, Captain Lance.” A 3D image appears, providing a view of the comet in relation to the satellites, the moon, and Earth, with its trajectory. The Waverider is marked on the image as well.

“Ok, so we do have a slight adjustment to the plan, Kara,” Sara says. Kara looks over at her surprised before seeing that Lena is slightly smirking. This must be what Lena asked to talk to Sara about. Kara nods, indicating that Sara can continue on with the plan.

“Ok, so, the Waverider will be set up here for the most direct and cleanest shot with the tech we have acquired,” Sara points to show where the ship will be. Ava and I will be in charge of that. Meanwhile, Kara, you… and Lena.” Sara pauses and waits.

Kara knew this part of the plan already. But how is Lena supposed to be in space with her, moving a comet. That didn’t make sense at all. Kara looks dumbfounded at Sara, then at Ava, and finally, at Lena. Lena reaches around and pulls something out of the back pocket of her jeans and holds it out for Kara, who walks over to Lena and just looks at it. It looks just like the spacesuit device that Kara has but has a different symbol on the front.

“You didn’t,” is all Kara says. She doesn’t even look up at Lena. Because of course she did.

“Oh, I did.” She can hear the smirk and smugness in Lena’s voice.

“No. Absolutely not. Out of the question.” Kara says using her overly firm, Supergirl voice.

“Kara. You don’t need to do this alone. I built your suit. I used those schematics to make my very own suit, with some upgrades to make me strong so that I can help with moving the comet and provide you backup out there.” Lena reaches out with her hand, puts it under Kara’s chin, and lift’s Kara’s head up so she can look her in the eyes. “I am not letting you do this alone; do you hear me?”

Kara’s eyes are full of tears now. She is so full of mixed emotions for this woman. “I don’t want anything to happen to you out there.” She finally says in return.

“If it does, I know you will save me,” Lena says in return, reassuringly. “So, it’s settled, you and me, together, ok?” Lena asks. Kara nods. And again, like they are on the same wavelength, they both simultaneously reach in for a hug and embrace for a few moments. Once they break apart, they look back to Sara and Ava, both nodding to indicate they are ready.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kara and Lena are standing at the back of the Waverider, getting ready to launch into space near the comet before the ship will jump to its desired location for firing. Both women are in their spacesuits except for their helmets, waiting for the comet to come into view. Kara is bouncing from one foot to the other anxiously looking anywhere but at Lena. Lena is standing still, staring into the abyss of space.

“The comet will be appearing in five minutes.” They hear Gideon announce.

Lena takes a deep breath and picks up her helmet to place it on her head.

“Lena, wait.” Kara is finally looking at Lena, walking towards her, slowly.

“Kara, this isn’t the time for discussion. I am coming with you.”

“No, it isn’t that.” Kara raises her hands in front of her to show she isn’t trying to fight with Lena. Lena raises her eyebrow at Kara. “Ok… so then what could you possibly want to talk about right this instant, Kara?”

“I have to tell you something.” Kara is standing right in front of Lena now. She takes Lena’s helmet out of her hands and places it back down on the crate. She takes Lena’s hands in her own, mentally cursing the fact that they are in these suits and so she can’t really feel Lena’s hands since they have gloves on. Oh well, too late now, she thinks.

“Tell me what?” Lena is curious now. She knows they only have a few minutes. Kara looks down and then looks up into Lena’s eyes, and then back down again. She takes a few breathes in and out before looking back up into Lena’s eyes. And then she just kind of stares into Lena’s eyes for a few seconds but doesn’t say anything.

“Kara…?”

“I’m in love with you, Lena Luthor.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Ms. Luthor and Ms. Danvers, but the comet is approaching and will be here in one minute. I recommend you prepare yourselves for launch into space now.”

Lena just stares are Kara, unsure of what to do or say. Why did she have to tell her this right now?

Kara leans down and picks up Lena’s helmet and hands it to her to put on. Lena is still stunned.

“Here, you are going to need this,” Kara says with a smile. She is smiling at Lena. Why is she smiling at Lena? Lena is so confused.

Kara turns and goes to pick up her own helmet, putting it on. Seeing Kara put her own helmet on snaps Lena out of her daze long enough to put her own helmet on.

“Ready?” Kara asks her. Lena, not sure her voice is actually working yet, simply nods, walks over to the door where Kara is standing, and then takes Kara’s hand. Kara looks down but doesn’t pull away. She squeezes Lena’s hand and then tells Gideon they are ready for the airlock door to open. And before Lena realizes it, they are in space, literally flying towards a real comet.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Sara! Ava! Help!”

Sara and Ava come running into the Cargo Bay. Lena is carrying Kara. They help carrying her into the Med Bay, dematerializing her spacesuit on the way.

“Gideon run a full diagnostic on Kara please,” Ava says as they get her in one of the chairs.

“We lost communication with you two. What happened out there?” Sara asks Lena.

“I’m not sure what happened to the comms. They were working fine until we got too close to the comet. Perhaps the material the comet was made of...” Lena trails off, staring off into space, starting to go into shock now that she has gotten Kara to safety.

“Lena, hey Lena, look at me,” Sara says, snapping her fingers in front of Lena to get her attention. It works and brings Lena back to the present. “Tell me what happened.”

“Oh, right. We were listening to Gideon for exactly how much power and effort to exert on the comet after you fired the machine at the comet. We saw the slight change in trajectory from that. Kara and I tried, we really did, but it didn’t seem to be enough. Gideon said we needed to do just a little bit more, but my suit was at max capacity. If I had added any more power, it would have started to shut down and we weren’t sure if Kara could have gotten me back here in time… So instead Kara pushed herself too hard… she pushed so hard she passed out… I’m not sure…. Maybe she solar flared? That’s when she temporarily loses her powers…” Lena attempts to clarify. “She was there with me one minute and the next… she was just floating through space… she looked so… lifeless… I had to use what was left of my thrusters to go after her… And even after I got to her… she wasn’t answering me… I just had to get her back here…” Lena trails off again… clearly still in shock from the events.

“Hey, Lena, why don’t we have Gideon take a look at you too? Just to make sure you are ok?”

“Kara first,” is all Lena says.

“Good news Captains, it appears that Kara just needs some rest and some yellow sun to recharge her Kryptonian cells and she should return to her normal state.”

“See, Lena? Kara is going to be ok. Why don’t we let Gideon make sure you will be ok too?” Sara guides Lena to the other chair so Gideon can scan her as well. Lena doesn’t have any physical injuries. Though as soon as she is in the chair next to Kara, she reaches out for Kara’s hand to hold, and refuses to move from this position. After Sara makes sure that both women will be ok, Ava and her decide to let them both get some well deserved rest, while they go open a bottle of liquor to celebrate the completion of the missions (because to Sara and Ava, they accomplished two missions during their staycation).

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is a good 12 hours later before Kara finally wakes up. Lena is still by her side, though she has showered and gotten herself something to eat by now. When Kara wakes up, she sees Lena sitting beside her, reading a book and drinking coffee. Hearing Kara stir though, makes Lena take notice and she is at her bedside at once.

“Hi,” Kara whispers, not sure how horse her voice will be since she is unsure how long she has been out.

“Hi Darling,” Lena greets her with a smile, putting a hand in one of Kara’s.

“How long was I out?”

“About 12 hours.”

“That isn’t too bad,” Kara says with a chuckle.

“How are you feeling?

“Practically back to my normal self,” Kara says, beaming, before saying more seriously “Turns out I am the one who needed saving out there.”

“Anytime, my love.”

Kara just stares at Lena, unsure if she is maybe having hearing difficulties, or maybe still dreaming, or maybe she didn’t make it back after all. There are a lot of possibilities running through her mind. Lena can tell Kara seems a bit confused by that last sentiment, though, so she decides to ease her mind for her.

“Kara, I am in love with you. I have known it for some time. I just didn’t know how to tell you. And then everything that happened the last couple of years… happened. So, when I finally had you back as a friend, I was content to love you as a friend and had resigned myself to only ever being able to love you as a friend…”

“Oh…”

“So, when you told me that you were in love with me, and I only had three minutes to process that information… well, lets just say that while I am a genius in science and technology, it takes me much longer to process my emotions and decide how to act on them… However, now that I have had, well, 12 hours to process it. There are some things I want to make sure you know. First and foremost, I want you to know that I am in love with you, too. Second, I want you to know that I have no expectations from these proclamations of love. Whatever happens next in our… relationship. Whether we stay best friends or become something more, whatever you want, Kara Zor-El, I just want to know all of you and have you know all of me. We have seen each other at our best and at our worst now. So, I want to make sure you know that I am not going anywhere, regardless of what happens next.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ava and Sara exchange hugs with Kara and Lena after dropping them back off at Kara’s apartment. While it had been a stressful and crazy few days on the Waverider, it had also been one of the most fun times Kara has had in a long time. And while her and Lena still had a lot to figure out in terms of their relationship and where they go next, they both knew that no matter what, they were going to be moving toward the future together.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, This idea stemmed out of a conversation for a simple one shot about these four wonderful women that turned into this beast of a story! This is my first fanfic, so feel free to drop a comment below and let me know what you think.


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